Oman and Austria called Saturday for a durable US-brokered truce to ensure the resumption of talks over the Middle East crisis, reported the Gulf News.
Omani Foreign Minister Yusuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah and his Austrian counterpart, Ferroro Waldner, who held an official round of talks in Vienna, also called for a greater European Union role in order to revive the Middle East peace process.
Alawi, who is due to leave for Turkey on Sunday at the end of his four-day visit, reiterated Oman's fullest support for the Palestinians in their struggle to gain an independent and sovereign state, and urged Israel to vacate all occupied Arab lands in the larger interests of peace in the region, said the paper.
The talks, marked by keenness by both sides to boost bilateral cooperation, took place in the midst of a whirlwind visit to the Middle East by US Secretary of State Colin Powell, who was trying desperately to prevent the collapse of the truce.
Alawi, who held talks with Powell in Washington in the context of the 16th annual bilateral meeting before coming to Vienna, also exchanged views with Austrian President Thomas Klestil, who paid a landmark visit to Oman at the invitation of Sultan Qaboos last March.
Klestil made it clear during a press conference that Austria would not shift its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem as a mark of solidarity with the Arabs, “even if the US and its allies did so.”
He also condemned the excessive use of force by Israel against the Palestinians and underlined the growing need for resumption of talks, the paper quoted him as saying – Albawaba.com
© 2001 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
